Spanish police discover 171 kilos of drugs hidden in plastic bananas

The Spanish national police force have confirmed they have made a surprising haul of 171 kilos of cocaine at the port of Algeciras in the south-west of the country following an operation in which a box of fruit turned out to contain a great deal more than expected.

The drugs had an estimated street value of around 17 million euros (19 million U.S. dollars) and had arrived from the Colombian port of Turbo.

However, what made this recent find interesting is that it showed the lengths smugglers will go to try and deceive authorities.

"During a check on a consignment in the Port of Algeciras on April 28th, a pallet marked with a red X was discovered by agents. It contained 19 boxes, each of which held 88 plastic bananas made to look as if they were real. Inside the false bananas was a total of 171 kilos of cocaine," explained a statement on the Spanish National Police website.

Spain's close connections with Latin America and North Africa and ease of access to the rest of Europe make it a gateway for drugs smuggled into the continent and 22 tonnes were discovered by police and customs officials during 2015. Endit